Amber and Amethyst

I'll share with you what I've written of the the past couple days for my "Gems and Minerals" booklet. It will, anyway, change the monotony of journals!

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CHAPTER 1 (or maybe 2?)

AMBER 

Amber, a gem, fossilized tree resin, is found about everywhere in the world. There are many types of amber, verying from shades of blue to dark orange, black, white, and red. Often amber is found with insects in it, including ants, spiders, flies, mosquitos, etc.

Amber is often found in coal seams, and mined, both underground and out in the open. When amber is mined, it often has a crust that has to be taken off before the true beauty is discovered. To take the crust off, many times the amber is put in turning barrel containing water and sand. Sometimes, amber is washed up on beaches, and often the crust is already washed off with the power of the waves rubbing it against the sea floor. Amber is not float-able, so most of the time when trying to get amber from the sea, people dive or fish for it.

After amber has been cleaned, it can be turned into many different products. For example, the Vienna amber factories use pale amber to make pipes. The amber is turned on a lathe and polished, then given its final color by rubbing it with flannel. Other kinds of amber are treated differently. If two pieces of amber need to be fused together, often linseed oil will be rubbed on the sides to be fused. Then they are heated, and pressed together while still hot. Many things can be made from this, and often amber is turned into jewelry or smoking utensils.

Amber is classed in many different categories, according to what it has in it, how much, and color. Amber is made up of so many different things. There are five different classes that the amber is classified under:

• Class I. Most kinds of amber are under this category. They contain many different kinds of acids. 
• Class II. These ambers are made from resins with a hydrogen/carbon base. 
• Class III. These ambers are much like stiff plastic, or polystyrenes. 
• Class IV. These ambers are made of aromatic resins, and don't have starches in them. 
• Class V. These ambers are produced by a pine or pine relative. 

Amber is a very pretty gem, and it is used in many different ways. You may have seen some amber on a necklace before. They are very popular in that form! As you have seen before, amber can be used in many ways. Next time you walk on the seashore, look and see if you can find a piece on the beach! You might just be lucky!

CHAPTER 2 (or maybe 3?)

AMETHYST 

Amethysts are gems of the highest quality. Their beautiful color, the sparkling light they reflect, and their many-sidedness all combine to make a stunning jewel. Amethysts come in all shapes and sizes, but most often, they come in the shape of a 6-sided prism, ending in 6-side pyramids. Their color varies from light violet to dark purple. Sometimes, there are hints of red and blue in them, too. Often, there are white streaks in it also. Amethysts are a variety of quartz, and the purple qualities in it are caused by iron impurities. Often, the colors are laid out in stripes of varying color.

Amethysts can be found in different locations around the world. A few of the places are; South America, United States, Russia, South Korea, and one of the biggest places on the globe is in Zambia, in southern Africa. Some of the highest quality is found in Russia, though.

Until the 18th century, amethyst was included in the cardinal, (or most valuable gemstones, diamond, sapphire, ruby, and emerald are some of the most valuable) but after a vein was found in Brazil, the value dropped. Some of the most prized amethysts have red streaks in them, but this is very rare.

Amethysts are used in many, many ways. Their most common uses are for rings and necklaces. The highest quality costs a couple hundred dollars. Often, however, most of the stuff you can buy cheaply are poor quality. The color is not good, there is poor clarity, and they are polished rather than cut. You can buy this kind for ten dollars or less.

Amethysts are very pretty jewels. They are mined, but can occasionally be found in caves. Sometimes, they form inside volcanic rocks. Sometimes, they form in hollow spaces of rock. They are mined externally and internally, depending on where they are. At some places, you can start digging and tada! You have an amethyst treasure!